Tumpahan itu kecil; walaupun begitu, penyelia merekodkannya.

That spill is small; even so, the supervisor records it.

Breakdown of Tumpahan itu kecil; walaupun begitu, penyelia merekodkannya.

• itu: that
• kecil: small
• walaupun begitu: even so
• tumpahan: a spill

Questions & Answers about Tumpahan itu kecil; walaupun begitu, penyelia merekodkannya.

Why is itu after tumpahan? Doesn’t itu mean that?

Yes, itu often means that, but in Malay it commonly comes after the noun:

• tumpahan itu = that spill / the spill

In many contexts, itu can sound like either that or the, depending on what sounds natural in English. Malay does not use articles the same way English does, so itu is often used to point to something already known or identified.

So the word order is normal Malay word order:

• tumpahan itu
  literally: spill that

Why is there no word for was in Tumpahan itu kecil?

Malay often does not use a verb like to be in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

• Tumpahan itu kecil
  literally: The spill small

This naturally means:

• The spill is small
• The spill was small

Malay usually leaves tense to context rather than marking it directly on the verb. In your sentence, the overall context suggests a past meaning in English, so it is translated as was small.

Does kecil only mean physical size, or can it also mean here?